some last minute questions.
I know you have the T and that is the easiest way to travel. but being a tourist I love buses.
now, my hotel is the Newbury guesthouse, I have no. 1 to Harvard from the corner crossing the Charles river, or number 55 to Beacon Hill skirting he gardens, 39 to the museums (by the way I have some walking problems and want to take care and not walk where i don't have to).
is there any reason not to use buses instead of the T ? it looks so much nicer. but are they reliable and frequent enough ?
thank you. shula

Buses are fairly reliable and yes - frequent - but you can check the schedules on www.mbta.com - -I agree - buses are a fun way to see alot cheaply but try to tride off peak times so you can get a seat by a window. Enjoy our lovely city!

Routes 1 and 39 are among the busiest in the system -- they run most frequently and are also the most crowded. The roads along all 3 routes are very, very crowded at rush hours (roughly 7-9 AM and 3-6 PM) so the trip will take much longer than the subway. As nonnigrace has pointed out, you'll miss a lot if you take the bus but don't get a seat, and Boston roads are very rough to ride standing up.

The #39 will indeed take you to the Museum of Fine Arts; it stops right outside, as does the Green Line train, which is an above-ground trolley at this point in its route. The Gardner is just a couple of blocks away.

FYI the term "The T" technically also includes the bus routes, so if you use it to refer to just the subway ("I want to take a bus, not the T"), it might confuse some people. And to further sound like a local, don't put an "s" on the end of Boston Common or the Public Garden.

thank you

MBTA.com can give you various routes - bus, subway, train, etc from any point A to point B. Do not know when "last minute" is, but if it is this week Hurricane Ophelia is heading up coast - no danger, just a lot of rain end of week. Not fun to stand at bus stop in rain (limited bus shelters on some routes)

Hurricane Ophelia in Boston ? thought it is in North carolina.
looks like resonable weather over the weekend.
any way I am coming only on the 26th.

Yes, Ophelia is near NC today, but it's just Tuesday. Some of the projections call for her to progress up the coast, giving us plenty of rain for the upcoming weekend. But it's hard enough to predict Boston's weather just 24 hours in advance; no point in even thinking about the 26th yet.

There is a bus stop on the corner of Newberry and Mass Ave. You don't have to walk as far as the Charles River to catch a bus.

I know (printed the relevant lines). just thought that crossing over the river is much nicer then under it.
will take all your answer into consideration. and decide when I am there. thandk you. shula

The Red Line train that crosses the Charles also crosses over, rather than under, it -- there's a lovely bridge over the river, between the Charles/MGH and Kendall?MIT stops.

Skaf,

I just got back from Boston a few months ago ... I just wanted to let you know that you may actually enjoy some of the T stations.

Maybe someone can help me out on the exact station (my mind is drawing a blank) but there is one where there is an interactive art exhibit. You pull the lever to make these metal rods swing back and forth to make music (I can't really explain it - sorry) and it is really a lot of fun. There are quite a few really nice stations.

I am not suggesting that you shouldn't take the bus! I know exactly where you are coming from ... I am just saying that as a tourist, you may want to check out the T stations too.

Those enormous swinging chimes are on the red line, I think at the MIT stop. Great fun, but one of the handles for making them go -- I think on the outbound side -- was broken for a while. (Don't know if it has been fixed).

you were right. very easy to use both the buses and the underground. the tourist trolley too.
went to Harvard with no. 1 back with the underground with a visit to MIT. very easy as you told me.
thanks.